Karachi biryani is the best Pakistani biryani recipe that you can ever try. Here I am making Karachi Chicken biryani with homemade biryani masala that will give you the same flavor as you eat on the street of Karachi. Simple and easy biryani recipe that anyone can make at home.
Last time, when I shared Pakistani biryani video, it was welcomed by the masses and today sharing Karachi style bawarchi biryani.
This version is easy and best and you don't need to be a biryani master to make it. If you are a beginner, learning how to cook biryani step by step or even student give it a try! and I am sure it will be the best version that you can share with your family and friends.
Jump to:
- What is Karachi biryani?
- Biryani Ingredients
- How to Cook Chicken Biryani Karachi Style
- Prepare Korma Curry (Step 1)
- Boiled Rice Preparation (Step 2)
- Layering and Steaming (Step 3)
- Karachi Biryani Recipe Video
- Pro Tips
- What to Serve With Biryani
- Store and Reheat Leftover Biryani
- Best Biryani Recipes
- Q & A
- You Might Like This
- Karachi Biryani Recipe
What is Karachi biryani?
Steamy, full of spices, vibrant, and fluffy biryani rice cooked with layers of chicken, beef, or mutton will tempt anyone to eat with a strong heady aroma which I believe is self-inviting.
Karachi is the hub of businesses! it's the most populous city in the world with more than 20 million people who love food and BIRYANI is the real Karizma especially the young people are crazy to have biryani anytime. Believe me, it's a fact! (not exaggerating). Every Sunday is the biryani day and everyday lunch time is the biryani time. No doubt to say, it's one of the best-selling street food in Karachi.
There is some specific food that can be declared as the National food of Karachi like Nihari, Karachi biryani, and karahi. Karachiites are obsessed with it and family get together and special events are incomplete without these dishes.
Why I am telling you all this with passion as I am also a true Karachiites and love to eat and cook biryani. I remember when my mother asked us what to cook today. We religiously say to her to cook biryani with raita as it makes a perfect combination.
This recipe for biryani is taken from a local chef (bawarchi) in Karachi who used to make wedding biryani every day. I hope it will make a difference in your flavor as everyone like to make wedding-style biryani at home.
Biryani Ingredients
It seems the biryani ingredients list is long and it takes longer to cook. But it's not! as most of the spices are general and every Indian and Pakistani pantry has it. My candid experience is organizing the spices before cooking to manage time.
Chicken: Used skinless bone-in chicken. Breast, thighs, and legs are preferred cut. Chicken with bones makes a tasty biryani korma for layering. As a substitute, use boneless chicken.
Rice: Long-grain basmati rice is used in this recipe. As I mentioned earlier, this recipe took from the local chef so he recommended the sela rice but I skipped it and used basmati.
Oil/ghee: There is no compromise in biryani flavor so used oil in tablespoons. It's not greasy but oil/ghee makes a big difference in biryani taste.
Birista (Biryani Onions): Used homemade crispy fried onions for biryani. Hand-crushed and used while making curry.
Ginger Garlic: Use to prefer freshly made ginger garlic paste.
Biryani Spices: Red Chili Powder, Salt, Black Salt, Black Pepper Powder, Coriander Powder, Garam Masala (Or, you can use homemade biryani masala powder)
Yogurt: Freshly beaten yogurt used to make korma curry.
Tomatoes: Used cubes of tomatoes without skin.
How to Cook Chicken Biryani Karachi Style
Nothing intricate to cook biryani with this 3 step process. Make biryani korma curry, boil the rice and then layering to steam the biryani pot. That's it! it's simple and easy to cook the best biryani ever!
Prepare Korma Curry (Step 1)
In a pan, pour oil and heated up to add chicken. Saute chicken on high heat until it starts to change color.
Add ginger garlic paste and cook on high heat to get rid with the raw odor.
Season with spices (salt, red chili powder, black salt, black pepper powder, coriander powder, and homemade garam masala powder). Cook the masala on high heat for few minutes.
Add yogurt and mix the curry to make one tone texture.
Now time to add tomato cubes without skin. Cover and simmer the curry for 5 to 10 minutes to soften the tomatoes. Then stir and cook on high heat to blend the tomatoes and form a homogenous curry texture.
Add hand crushed crispy biryani onions (Birista). Mix it well to thicken the curry.
Adjust the korma curry consistency with water.
Cover the pan and cook for 25 minutes on low medium heat.
After the chicken korma for biryani is ready to layer.
Boiled Rice Preparation (Step 2)
Wash and soak the rice for 30 minutes.
In a pan add 2 liter water and boil it. Add whole garam masala (cumin, bay leaves, cinnamon, fennel, black pepper, cloves) in hot boiling water. Also add salt in water.
Cover and cook the water for 5 minutes to take the flavor from whole garam masala.
Carefully uncover the lid and remove big pieces of whole garam masala.
Then add soaked rice in water. Gently mix with a spoon.
Now cover the rice for 5 minutes on high heat to cook. 80 to 85% rice needs to be cook rest will cook on steam.
Check the rice after 5 minutes and drain the water.
Now rice is ready for layering.
Layering and Steaming (Step 3)
In a pan, add rice layer then spread the chicken curry then again add rice layer and spread the chicken curry. Repeat the process if you have more rice or curry.
Place 1 cup of rice in a bowl. Mix the orange food color in water and mix well. Now add the color to rice in bowl and give it a good mix.
Make a layer of yellow rice at the top of biryani.
Squeeze fresh lemon and birista onions (optional).
Cover the pan and steam the biryani for 25 to 30 minutes on low-medium heat.
Initially cook on high heat (for 2 to 3 minutes) as the biryani starts to release steam then turn the heat to low and steam for 20 minutes.
Now the biryani is ready to serve. Check the tip section to dish out biryani.
Karachi Biryani Recipe Video
Watch - How did I Make
Pro Tips
- Use golden chicken pieces with bones as it the bone stock make the perfect taste of curry that will help to improve the flavor of biryani rice. Breast, legs and thighs are more recommended.
- Korma curry needs to be thicken, smooth and consistent before layering. Otherwise the biryani will be mushy in texture.
- Always use proper ratio of all spices otherwise use homemade biryani masala powder.
- Crispy fried biryani onions (Birista) create a perfect flavor in curry. Don't use store bought as it can change the flavor. Use the leftover birista for topping.
- Long grain basmati rice makes the best flavor and texture of biryani. If you don't have basmati then go for Jasmine rice.
- Biryani essence can be used to add a specific aroma of biryani. (It's optional)
- Check the more detailed tips and tricks to make best biryani at home.
What to Serve With Biryani
Well, biryani is a solo dish that can only pair up with special biryani raita. If you are planning a party then you must add some sides if the biryani is in main course.
I love to add different style of kabab as it makes a perfect taste with biryani rice. Shami kabab, Chapli kabab, Seekh kabab and the most adorable Pakistani bihari kabab.
In salads, simple veg salad is best but you can make variations by adding healthy and fresh chickpea salad, rajma salad or macaroni salad.
Karachi Biryani and Karahi make a perfect menu for dawat. Serve the karahi with Roghni naan and it will make the best combo for foodies.
Don't forget to add the twist of dessert, try Phirni or creamy Gajrela, or Gajar ka halwa (if it's in season) otherwise make homemade Rasmalai with milk powder.
Store and Reheat Leftover Biryani
It's easy to store biryani for a week in refrigerator. When the biryani is at room temperature then pack it in a air tight glass container and store in refrigerator.
Use microwave to reheat or simple place biryani in pan, cover the lid and keep on low heat at stovetop. If you think the rice looks dry then add a splash of water (not more than 50 for 1 plate). In this way, it will get steamy and you will get the taste of freshly made biryani.
Best Biryani Recipes
As I am a true biryani lover so you will find the best collection of all types of biryani and list is growing with time so stay connected to get the best.
- Pakistani biryani,
- Mutton Biryani,
- Beef Biryani,
- White Biryani,
- Hyderabadi Dum Biryani,
- Sindhi Biryani
- Chickpea Biryani
What is Haleem Biryani | Best Biryani in Dubai
Q & A
Not a big difference. Pakistani biryani is more like Karachi biryani. In Pakistan, every region makes biryani in their own way but the Karachi biryani dominates in terms of flavor, aroma and look.
Best way is to use long grain premium quality basmati rice. It will give you the best flavor of biryani. Alternatively, use Jasmine rice.
Yes, you can! Here is the recipe of homemade biryani masala that you can store in your pantry for 6 months.
In 1 kg cooked biryani rice, there will be 7 to 8 chicken pieces for a good serving. Normally 4 to 5 people easily eat 1 kg. If you want to make it for a party then multiply the quantity accordingly.
For example; if you want to make 5kg biryani then use 5 kg cooked rice with 5 kg chicken (35 to 40 pieces of chicken).
Always use a spacious and wide pan or pot to cook large quantity. 5 kg cauldron (daig) is best.
Biryani pot or pan is important to cook the nonadherent fluffy rice without sticking on the bottom of the pan. I personally use nonstick pan but recently start using titanim pot as it's good for healthy cooking. If you have heavy iron pot then it's good to steam biryani.
You can find so many good places to eat.. Burns road is the old place of foodies to track Pakistani food. Boat basin street food is also good to get a tasty plate of biryani. Otherwise you can try biryani in wedding. Nothing can beat the flavor of wedding menu biryani.
Turmeric powder have strong presence in terms of adding yellow color. It's best to make yellow turmeric rice but in biryani it needs to be a combination of white, orange, slight yellow and gravy color so avoid adding turmeric. If the biryani is completely yellow in texture then avoid turmeric in curry.
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Karachi Biryani Recipe
Ingredients
For Chicken Korma
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 650 g Chicken
- 2 teaspoon Ginger Garlic
- 1 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper Powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 cup Yogurt
- 1 cup Tomato Cubes without skin
- 1.5 tablespoon Birista Onions Crispy Brown Onions for biryani
- ½ Cup Water
For Rice
- ½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds Zeera
- 2 Bay Leaves Taiz Patta
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks 3 inches (Darchini)
- 1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds Saunf
- 20 Pods Black pepper Kali Mirch
- 1 Star Seed Badyan Ka Phool
- 5 Cloves Laung
- 1 tablespoon Salt
Layering and Steaming
- 1 Pinch Yellow food color Edible
- ½ Freshly squeezed lemon
Instructions
Preparation of Chicken Korma Curry
- Preparation of Chicken Korma Curry
- In a pan, pour oil and heated up to add chicken. Saute chicken on high heat until it starts to change color.
- Add ginger garlic paste and cook on high heat to get rid with the raw odor.
- Season with spices (salt, red chili powder, black salt, black pepper powder, coriander powder, and homemade garam masala powder). Cook the masala on high heat for few minutes.
- Add yogurt and mix the curry to make one tone texture.
- Now time to add tomato cubes without skin. Cover and simmer the curry for 5 to 10 minutes to soften the tomatoes. Then stir and cook on high heat to blend the tomatoes and form a homogenous curry texture.
- Add hand crushed crispy biryani onions (Birista). Mix it well to thicken the curry.
- Adjust the korma curry consistency with water.
- Cover the pan and cook for 25 minutes on low medium heat.
- After the chicken korma for biryani is ready to layer.
Preparation of Rice
- Wash and soak the rice for 30 minutes.
- In a pan add 2 liter water and boil it. Add whole garam masala (cumin, bay leaves, cinnamon, fennel, black pepper, cloves) in hot boiling water. Also add salt in water.
- Cover and cook the water for 5 minutes to take the flavor from whole garam masala.
- Carefully uncover the lid and remove big pieces of whole garam masala.
- Then add soaked rice in water. Gently mix with a spoon.
- Now cover the rice for 5 minutes on high heat to cook. 80 to 85% rice needs to be cook rest will cook on steam.
- Check the rice after 5 minutes and drain the water.
- Now rice is ready for layering.
How to Layer biryani and Dum (Steam)
- In a pan, add rice layer then spread the chicken curry then again add rice layer and spread the chicken curry. Repeat the process if you have more rice or curry.
- Place 1 cup of rice in a bowl. Mix the orange food color in water and mix well. Now add the color to rice in bowl and give it a good mix.
- Make a layer of yellow rice at the top of biryani.
- Squeeze fresh lemon and birista onions (optional).
- Cover the pan and steam the biryani for 25 to 30 minutes on low-medium heat.
- Initially cook on high heat (for 2 to 3 minutes) as the biryani starts to release steam then turn the heat to low and steam for 20 minutes.
- Now the biryani is ready to serve. Check the tip section to dish out biryani.
Hinz
Hello friends, I am super excited to share the recipe of Karachi biryani. Quick and easy recipe for biryani lovers. Anyone can easily make this.. Let me know if you try this..